[Tushar]

Tata Motors had the strongest showing in terms of numbers. They had on display the Starbus Urban 9/18 FE Articulated Bus, a luxury bus, the Ultra AC Urban 9/9, the Winger Dicor BS4, the Starbus Ultra Skool and the Starbus Ultra AC BS4.



Starbus Urban 9/18 FE Articulated Bus

Dimensions:
Length: 17,950 mm
Width: 2,600 mm
Height: 3,800 mm
Wheelbase: First 6,200 mm | second 6,000 mm
GVW: 26,400 kgs

Engine: 6.7-litre, 6-cylinder in-line, Cummins ISbe 2 diesel BS-IV
Max power: 276 BHP
Axle:
- Front: Tata heavy duty forged
- Middle: Tata drive axle
- Rear: Tata axle
Brakes: Dual circuit, Full air S-CAM brake system
Front: Disc/drum| Middle: drum | Rear: drum
Tyres: 295/80 R22.5 radials
-Front: 2
-Middle: 4
-Rear: 4
Steering: Hydraulic power steering
Suspension:
- Front: Weveller/Pneumatic
- Middle/Rear: Pneumatic
Passenger capacity (Seat+Standee): 45+48

Presented here with a funky paint job, the Starbus Urban 9/18 FE Articulated Bus.


More people clicked selfies with this bus than at the Lamborghini Huracan launch (No joke!). However, it's not just because of the paint job.


Here are the exit doors that will need a certain platform to be used. This bus can only be used on select corridors that comprise of straight roads and that's because...


...of this! The extension that makes this an "articulated" bus.




I was really surprised that there wasn't a camera at the back?


The bus is understandably long. I had to stick to the wall and hold the camera near my nose to get the bus in frame. Approximate pricing stands at around Rs 1.5 crore. Tata officials say they already have around 30 interested buyers, mostly by government departments.


6 information boards in all.


Multiple mirrors to provide a better view for the driver.


The driver cockpit. Notice the slots for steering-mounted controls and the brushed aluminium finish!


Screen for the surveillance system. This screen shows video from inside the bus via CCTVs.




The walkthrough..


The second entry/exit point from the front. Remember the exits that would require a designated platform to be used? This is where they lead.


Space for passengers in a wheelchair placed right at the entry point.




The pivoting point for the articulated portion. Didn't get to experience it while being driven of course, but I imagine it will be similar to that portion between bogeys on trains.




The last row of seats. Plenty of space for 5-6 standees too.

[Tushar]

Starbus Ultra Skool

Dimensions:
Length: 10,120 mm
Width: 2,340 mm
Height: 2,900 mm
Wheelbase: 5,200 mm
GVW: 9,600 kgs

Engine: 497TCIC BS III
Gearbox: G550 Synchromesh
Clutch: 330 mm- single plate dry friction type
Front axle: Reversed Elliott Type
Rear axle: Banjo type
Suspension: Parabolic leaf spring
Tyres: 235/75 R17.5
Fuel tank: 160 litres





Rear view camera.




Wooden finish dashboard . Cheesy, but target market might like it.


TFT LCD display that relays images from the camera. With the SkoolMan system, this bus is priced around Rs. 30 Lakh.


Seats with grab handles. Seatbelts only on the first two seats.


Under-seat storage for school bags.

[Tushar]

Luxury Bus

Dimensions:
Length: 10,645 mm
Width: 2,560 mm
Height: 3,800 mm
Wheelbase: 5,545 mm
GVW: 16,200 kgs

Engine: Cummins 6BT 5.9 BSIII
Gearbox: G600 OD
Clutch: Hydraulic 352 mm Spicer pull type-Single plate dry friction type
Rear axle: Single reduction, hypoid gears, fully floating axle shafts- RA108 RR
Front axle: Heavy duty forged I beam reverse Elliot type
Tyres: 10R20 16PR
Suspension: Leaf spring/Weveller
Fuel capacity: 250 litres
Seating capacity: 37

Tata says the front end features a "Jupiter face" full metal finish.








Red carpet entry, but I must say, the spiral step entry isn't really convenient. The entry point isn't too wide either.


Neatly laid out dashboard.


Several buttons with their functions marked. However, they seem to have been scribbled on with a stencil!


Seating space for 37 passengers. A repeat observation..most of these buses only have seatbelts at the front-most rows and the middle seat in the last row (i.e. seats that have gaps ahead of them). Such buses will be looking at long distance travel. With the large number of bus accidents, seatbelts should be made mandatory for all. Remember incidents where buses fell off the ghats? Imagine how many lives would have been saved, if passengers were held in their seats.






The main luxury in this bus - Reclining seats.


Bottle holders.


Prices for this bus hover around the 29 Lakh range.

[Tushar]

Ultra AC Urban 9/9

Dimensions:
Length: 9,200 mm
Width: 2,340 mm
Height: 3,800 mm
Wheelbase: 4,900 mm

Engine: 497TCIC BSIII
Gear Box: G550 Synchromesh
Clutch: 330 mm single plate dry friction type
Front axle: Reversed Elliot type
Rear axle: Banjo Type
Tyres: 235/75 R17.5
Suspension: Parabolic leafspring
Fuel capacity: 160 litres
GVW: 9,600 kgs
Seating capacity: 37

The 9/9 meets the 'Urban Bus' Ministry of Urban Development (MOUD) II norms - related link.


Painted with this backdrop for its urban bus credentials.






Two entry points.


The dashboard. Notice the mike for the in-bus PA system. The instrument cluster is shared with the articulated bus.




Definitely useful! A proper plug-point on the passenger end of the dashboard.




Padded backrest with a seatbelt for wheelchair bound passengers.


The in-bus CCTV placed at the back. With such added systems, the approximate pricing is Rs. 32 Lakh.

[Tushar]

Starbus Ultra AC BSIV

Dimension:
Length: 10,120 mm
Width: 2,340 mm
Height: 3,300 mm
Wheelbase: 5,200 mm

Engine: 3.0-litre CRDI BSIV
Gearbox: G550 Synchromesh
Clutch: 330 mm- single plate dry friction type
Front axle: Reversed elliot type
Rear axle: Banjo type
GVW: 9,600 kgs

Steering: Power
Suspension: Parabolic leaf spring
Tyres: 235/75 R17.5
Fuel tank: 160 litres
Seating capacity: 40

Being part of the Marcopolo series, there's little to differentiate this from the Ultra Skool or 9/9, in terms of styling.












Incredibly old fashioned instrumentation cluster.


Leatherette seats to add a little luxury. Pricing = Rs 25 Lakh.


Data on Tata's new generation BS4 engine that powers the Ultra.


The motor in the metal!










Tata Winger Dicor BSIV

[Tushar]

The Tata SkoolMan Campaign

A mini exhibition within the stall, showcasing Tata's work on the SkoolMan campaign. The SkoolMan telematics system will be standard fitment on the Tata Ultra range of school buses and will also be available for fitment on other models of school buses in the after-market.

Here is a quick glance at the features incorporated in SkoolMan:

For parents:

• Automatic SMS alerts to parents/guardians on arrival of the bus
• Mobile application to track the school bus carrying their children, through a map on a real time basis
• SMS-based query system to get notifications on the location of the bus

For schools:

• Real time tracking of buses with updates generated every 10 seconds
• Notifications on instances of unsafe driving through a SMS or e-mail
• Schools can stay assured of data security against any unauthorized access through 256 bit AES data encryption technique for data communication and dedicated server space for school data
• Geo-fencing restricted regions to prevent entry of buses in zones that schools perceive unsafe for children

For Bus Fleet admins/owners:

• Route management facility (define bus stops, create and manage routes) for planning and deploying the fleet in an efficient way
• Engine idling monitoring tracks duration for which the bus was idling...helps in minimizing fuel consumption
• Fleet usage reports are generated, which can be analysed and used to optimise the performance of every bus in the fleet. The reports can be generated
  1. bus wise, route wise, bus stop wise or driver wise
  2. on daily, weekly and monthly basis
  3. for Single vehicles as well as fleets
• Reminders for any bus related renewals

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Commercial Vehicles. Thanks for sharing!

[Ashley2]

Poor show by Tata.
I am not sure, why they are concentrating much in this Bus and Special Vehicles Show. Even last year their display was nothing special to write about. Infact Ultra has appeared in the same avatar last year. The Vestibule bus is same which was showcased in Auto Expo. And about the Luxury bus, its really a bad show with the side panels and Carline straight lift from their age old Starbus design. Luxury is nothing without AC and without complete AC portfolio in buses, Tata should concentrate in developing a proper AC chassis rather than just showing some new body design, IMHO.

[HyperRetard]

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[urzdeepu]

Seriously, is this what you call new? I had expectations from Tata but this looks like a sudden decision to participate in the show without much preparation .
The vestibule bus which after the Auto Expo reappeared again in this show and there is nothing new about it.
The ultra series of buses all are the same platform and same body with an ac/ non ac option and yes with some color changes.
Coming to the so called Luxury bus to be frank it looks real Ugly when looked from the front. Come on ACGL what have you done to it? A Mix of Jaguar inspired grille on a tata cowl? After all there is nothing technically new - Another tata LPO 1512EX with a ACGL body.
Winger Dicor - Good move Tata. This one is inspiring and have potential to tap a growing market.
Tata Skoolman Campain - Good and well deserved initiative. Afterall kids require special attention so do the parents who need to have information on a real time basis.

[Ashley2]

Same 1512 with same issues. Wrt Vestibule bus till the bus was produced no clarity within Tata motors whether the bus will meet UBS2 spec or not.
Accordingly the bus should have minimum acceleration which with current power output is not possible. Also AC cooling specification can't be met without increasing the AC tonnage capacity (I enquired about the capacity and officials told 42kW which is same as single axle bus ) This when increased or two roof units are used, will affect the acceleration. So the other choice is going for a slave engine, which as a decision to be taken. No idea what and how will be the final product when it hits road. AC vestibule is serious big thing and Tata should do enough homework before it lanches. Let's not forget the half baked attempt they made in previous JNnurm with LPO 1618 (More popularly known as Marcopolo) and making them to scrap in half it's lifetime.

[DragonHawk]

Marcopolo already has a bad reputation among Bangaloreans and I don`t think these buses will be seen in the roads of Bangalore until or unless they hide Marcopolo badge from the bus.

Overall I would say a wasteful effort, year on year they display the same stuff with little or no little cosmetic changes. I feel situation wont change until someone like Bharath Benz comes up with a real niche product.

[vinya_jag]

Originally Posted by DragonHawk

Marcopolo already has a bad reputation among Bangaloreans and I don`t think these buses will be seen in the roads of Bangalore until or unless they hide Marcopolo badge from the bus.

Overall I would say a wasteful effort, year on year they display the same stuff with little or no little cosmetic changes. I feel situation wont change until someone like Bharath Benz comes up with a real niche product.

Indeed. The Marcopolo was such a bad product. The Volvos were a big hit among the Bangaloreans, and then, 'Ashok' the transport minister then ordered a chunk of these Marcopolos.

I understand the theory behind this. Marcopolo was atleast 1/3rd the cost of the Volvos, and they (BMTC) wanted a cheaper and a more fuel efficient option to the Volvos.

But, it turned out to be a very bad decision, I believe. The problems were seen from day 1. Extremely noisy, pollutive, slow buses they were. The maintenance costs of them ran into crores, and now, they entirely stopped the Marcopolo range.
And, recently there was an article in the news papers that there was some fraud which led to these buses coming onto our roads.

Now, 4-5 years later, Tata again wants to display this product . Unless they have done huge overhaul, I guess they should not even dare to advertise the same product again.

Also, why are the Indian manufacturers trying to copy he Volvos here? Why would a city bus need such a huge glass area? It doesn't solve our purpose. We want to keep the sun out as much as possible, for the ACs to be effective.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by vinya_jag

Indeed. The Marcopolo was such a bad product. ... Marcopolo was atleast 1/3rd the cost of the Volvos, and they (BMTC) wanted a cheaper and a more fuel efficient option to the Volvos.
... Extremely noisy, pollutive, slow buses they were. The maintenance costs of them ran into crores, and now, they entirely stopped the Marcopolo range.

The Volvo 8400LE city buses that we see in Bangalore, are powered by a 7L, 290bhp engine. This bus was designed according to EU norms, and Volvo brought this to India without diluting the spec too much. BMTC ordered the Tata Marcopolo LPO1618c RE, powered by a 5.9L Cummins 180bhp engine, which is known to be very noisy, coupled to an Allison AT, which somehow was not a good match for the said engine. To make matters worse, the bus had the AC compressor driven from the main engine, sapping a good amount of power. Result, what you see on Bangy roads - breakdowns, smoking rattletraps, sitting ducks on inclines.

Now, 4-5 years later, Tata again wants to display this product.

This product in question here, in this Expo, is not the same as the Tata-Marcopolo buses that we have in Bangy. They are more powerful, or so they claim. However I do have my doubts.

why are the Indian manufacturers trying to copy he Volvos here? Why would a city bus need such a huge glass area? It doesn't solve our purpose. We want to keep the sun out as much as possible, for the ACs to be effective.

This is where a term called "lobbying" comes into picture. Some companies are able to influence the specifications set down by a governing body to suit their products and pockets. This happens in any industry. That would partly answer your question. A huge glass area, btw, lets the driver see wide and clear. It also helps passengers see where the bus has reached - I find it very helpful if I'm in an unfamiliar place and rely on landmarks conveyed to me by someone to reach my destination.

[aditya79india]

Any specs of the 3L diesel motor?